4 die as heater explodes in jewellery manufacturing unit in Bhiwandi

Two others were injured in the fire that broke out; Police are investigating and will register a case against the owner

Locals look at the fire that engulfed the unit

Four people died, and two were injured, after a fire broke out after a heater exploded in a jewellery manufacturing unit, at Bhiwandi yesterday. The fire was so destructive that three women who died cannot be identified as the bodies are severely burnt.

The Narpoli police have registered an accidental death case and will register a case against the owner. According to sources from the Bhiwandi Fire Brigade, the fire took place on Sunday at around 11 am at Sarvoday Beats, Harihar compound, Dapoda. The unit that manufactured jewellery from plastic is owned by Ajay Dediya (43). "After the plastic is shaped and coloured, it is put in the heater to dry it. The heater exploded and the drums in which the paint was stored also caught fire. More than five people who were around the heater suffered major burn injuries," said a fire official.

Shivpujan Chaudhari (41), the manager of the firm, in his statement to police said, "A total of 16 workers worked in the unit, including 12 women and four men. The weekly off is on Friday and the work starts at 9 am and ends at 6 pm. The unit is spread across an area of 6,000 sq foot."

Bodies charredDatta Salvi, a fire official said, "The fire was brought in at around 3:30pm. The unit was completely gutted. The workers who were near the heater were dead and couldn't even be identified." Those who died are Sarika Dasre (25), Nirmala Jadukar (35), Anuraddha Nimbole (17) and Manoj. "The names of the deceased have been identified, but the three women's bodies couldn't be identified due to serve burn injuries," added a fire official.

Police saysSD Jadhav, Senior Police Inspector, Narpoli police said, "We have registered an accidental death case. The four dead were sent to Indira Gandhi Memorial hospital in Bhiwandi. The injured are also being treated at the same hospital. We have taken the statement of the manager and few workers. The owner has been interrogated. We will look into whether there was negligence and check the legalities and register a case against the concerned."